connecticut

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found evidence that more than 1,000 pregnant women in the United States may have been infected with Zika virus this year.

A Rhode Island company has now developed clothing aimed at protecting pregnant women against Zika. The apparel is being distributed at a clinic in El Salvador by Americares, a Connecticut-based non-profit.

Natalie Babbitt, the 84-year-old author of the popular children's novel "Tuck Everlasting," died Monday at her home in Hamden, Connecticut.

The novel left a big mark on young readers. It tells the story of a magical spring that grants eternal life to anyone who drinks from it – and a girl who has to decide whether to live forever or accept her eventual death. Babbitt told NPR’s Melissa Block last year that she decided to write "Tuck Everlasting" in 1975 after she realized her 4-year-old daughter was terrified of death.

Some Housatonic River advocates say they wish the EPA’s cleanup plan called for digging up more PCBs. PCBs are a man-made toxin, which was manufactured in the 1920s. This comes as the agency released its final plan to remove toxins from the river which runs through western Massachusetts and Connecticut. The $613 million plan calls for removing and capping PCBs from the river bottom and floodplain.

A decision by Connecticut energy officials could have a major impact on New England. The decision pulls the plug on plans to construct more natural gas pipelines in the state while boosting the use of renewable energy throughout the region. WBUR's Bruce Gellerman filed this story for the New England News Collaborative.

A trio of New England states has selected projects that will add about 460 megawatts of renewable energy to the region’s market in the next few years. Bidding companies can start negotiating with utilities in Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Students in Newtown, Connecticut will return to classes at Sandy Hook elementary next week. It’s the first time students have attended the school since a mass shooting four years ago. The school was demolished and has now been rebuilt.

The entirely-new building has improved security: a gated entrance, bulletproof windows, and lots of cameras. Architect and project manager Julia McFadden says the hope was to incorporate those needs into a soothing learning environment.

The President of the New Haven Connecticut Police Union calls it disheartening that the city’s police chief has been put on paid leave after another outburst.

Chief Dean Esserman, the former Providence police chief, has been accused of berating a waitress at a local restaurant. Esserman was known to make similar angry outbursts during his time in Rhode Island.

Former Providence Police Chief Dean Esserman took part in a rally Monday in New Haven, in response to last week’s racially-charged violence across the country. Esserman now leads the police force in New Haven, where he’s working to improve police-community relations.

From the New England News Collaborative, Cassandra Basler at WSHU brings us the story.

When Pastor James Newman heard that a white officer shot a black man in Minnesota, he felt angry. He said officers around the country need more training to combat their racial bias.

Work is underway to remove the White Rock Dam on the Pawcatuck River, along the Rhode Island/Connecticut border.The dam was built in 1940.

The White Rock Dam is located seven miles from the mouth of the Pawcatuck River, near Westerly and Stonington, Ct. Dams have restricted its flow since before the American Revolutionary War. The current dam stands six feet tall and more than 100 feet long.

The Rhode Island Association of Realtors is voicing concerns over part of the state budget. The group opposes expanding the definition of a hotel. The new definition would subject rental homes and small bed and breakfasts with at least one room for rent subject to the same taxes as hotels.

State officials expect to raise $5.4 million dollars in the next fiscal year with the proposed change.

The Pawcatuck River will have one less dam along its river in the near future. The Nature Conservancy has filed a wetlands permit application in Rhode Island to remove the White Rock Dam beginning this summer.

As you’ve probably noticed, gas prices continue to drop at the pump. In Rhode Island, a gallon of regular unleaded is down 15 cents from last week. And AAA reports prices have dropped by a dime in Massachusetts with the average gallon in both states going for $2.15.

This is the sixth consecutive week for double digit drops.

In Connecticut gas prices are down by twelve cents to land at $2.35 a gallon.

Do you have insight or expertise on this topic? Please email us, we'd like to hear from you. news@ripr.org

Scientists at the Weston Observatory say a magnitude 3.3 earthquake struck Plainfield, Connecticut Monday morning, about seven miles from the Rhode Island border. It was one of five smaller earthquakes in the area.

The Eastern Connecticut region is experiencing what’s called a swarm; that’s when several earthquakes hit a small area in a short succession. Just last week, a 2.0 quake hit the same spot. Weston Observatory senior scientist John Ebel said the area is likely seeing something referred to as a “swarm.”